First Responders Honor 9/11 Victims

No matter where you were 11 years ago, you remember the events that occurred and changed the course of history.

On the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, people across the country, including in Sioux Falls, are paying tribute to those who lost their lives.

First responders at the Central Sioux Falls Fire Station are taking some time out of their busy schedule to reflect and remember the firefighters who lost their lives 11 years ago.

It's a day many will never forget, whether you lived in New York City or a thousand miles away.

"I remember the morning, I was just getting off of work that morning from a fire station and vividly remember the images on TV from that morning," Sioux Falls Fire Rescue Division Chief Jeff Helm said.

While Jeff Helm and his crews were many miles away, he's seen the impact of those attacks in Sioux Falls.

"Unfortunately things have changed in the whole world after that day. And everybody, no matter where you were located, 1,000 miles away, protocols, the way you react to calls, those things, you're just more on guard about everyday things," Helm said.

And as a firefighter, seeing what those in New York City had to go through was like watching family struggle and not being able to help.

"It just makes me think back to the events that happened 11 years ago and in New York where we lost 343 fellow firefighters. And that hit firefighters across the nation, of course," firefighter Russ Rensch said.

"Your heart goes out, you understand what it takes to do the job and to that extreme of an event that occurred that morning, you can just kind of sympathize with what they had to go through. That type of thing is something not many people can realize the magnitude of what occurred," Helm said.

For many people, including firefighters, September 11 is a day of reflection and remembrance.

Tuesday the Central Sioux Falls Fire Station will hold an Honor Night to remember those lost and celebrate all first responders. The Honor Night will start at 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Central Sioux Falls Fire Station. For more information visit the Sioux Falls Fire Rescue website.